Low Test, The Testo clinic??

[stevezau]

Hey Guys,

I've been working towards a goal for over 2-3 years now. That goal is to put on some decent size and maintain a healthy life.

I've seen a number of nutritionist, Personal Trainers and Doctors.... To try keep a long story short.

A few years back i really started putting in 110% effort. Quit drinking, tracked my diet and stuck two various workout programs. No matter what i tried and what supplements i took i never seem to gain any muscle. My fat levels were about 12% and body weight about 70kg's. This keept up for a year. Decided to get some blood tests done. My results were alarming to me

Test = 10.1 nmol/L
Free Test = 32.1 pmol/L

I'm 27 years old. The lab flagged theses results as very low but the doctor preceded to tell them this was normal and there was nothing wrong.. EVEN tho i said i have low sex drive, energy, have troubles sleeping etc. I've had several blood tests over the years.. All ranging from 8.6 to 13.5 nmol/l for test.

I promptly changed docs. Next doc said yes this is def a problem but he didn't really help me out.. he offered to put me on HRT troche but the dosage was too low as my blood results kept coming back as low (11-14 nmol/L).

I got the shits and decided to try a cycle 6months ago. During the cycle my sex drive was improved and i put on 4KG of muscle!!.. But post cycle i managed to loose most of that muscle as my test levels graduallity dropped (even with taking PCT etc)..

Anyway, i now realised going on a cycle was not the best idea. I really want to get myself to normal levels the legal way. After much research i came across The Testo Clinic - Androgen - Testosterone Replacement

They have already spoken to me on the phone. In short its $2200 for 2 years worth of treatments (providing my blood work shows low test, which it will). This includes the prescription testosterone, regular check ups and blood tests at least ever 2-3months. They use creams and troache's to deliver the testosterone, the also claim that they understand there is a percentage of loss during the transfer of test from the cream/troache into the blood stream, they take this into account when prescribing the dosage.

It's quite expensive and i can't find many reviews on their services. Has anyone ever used creams etc before?? Are they actually effective? There is so much conflicting information out there!

Or maybe i should just keep changing doctors till someone prescribes me the needle?

Just look for help/advice guys.. Thanks!

 

[NJA82]

Dont go through these guys its a scam. Im not going to add anymore on that topic but if you look around you will find enough info.

You need to provide the reference ranges for those results you have posted up there, testosterone alone isnt enough of an indicator of what is wrong. There could be a LOT of variables.

Doing a cycle with diagnosed low test is just stupid, no offense mate but any doctor you go to from now on in should be cautious with you as trusting you with a HRT protocol would be considered a risk for any sensible GP.

I have 2 blood tests which show lower results than yours and i am still not on any form of HRT, there are many other factors in play that can affect your test levels and sometimes it can be sorted without resulting to HRT.

You lifting results although you may think are directly related to having low test arent because of your low test. There are a LOT of lifters with low test that are putting up big numbers and having no trouble putting on mass. Maintaining that mass and getting into the single digit BF % is a different story though.

Have you asked any GP`s for a referral to an endocrinologist? If not do this before you go any further.

 

[jackham]

The Testo Clinic is a very legitimate clinic that evaluates your testosterone levels by a real doctor that knows about hormone replacement! I personally was feeling like crap, always tired, low libido and my doctor said I was within the "normal" range! Problem is the normal range is not really normal for everyone!
Once I started the treatment (which included all therapies and advice) I felt great after about 1 week!
As we get older out body produces less testosterone and it also converts it to estrogen sometimes so it makes sense to replace what we can't produce. They are not a scam and its worth every penny to me!

 

[stevezau]

Hey NJA82,

Thanks for replying.

I got a scam feeling from theses guys as well. That's why I'm posting here. I had a look around but there is not much info on google about them. Only a few posts that does not really tell me much..

I think I know what you mean by ref ranges.. Here is one of my results

(Roche method)

Testosterone 8.9 nmol/L (11.5 - 32.0)
Free test 27.7 pmol/L (43 - 138)

As you can see this quite low. From what I've read I should be upwards or 25nmol/L for my age for testosterone. I also had a whole bunch of other things tested as well... I just don't have those results on me..

Yep I was it was stupid doing a cycle I already admitted that. I now just want to get my life back on track. Bodybuilding is now a secondary. Sex drive, motivation and just feeling good in general is the bigger issue here.

I'm chatting to another doctor on Monday, ill chat to him about a endocrinologist.. (Didn't know what they were until now)..

Thanks for the info!

 

[stevezau]

Jackham,

What did they prescribe for you??

Are you able to post your initial blood results and your subsequent results since starting treatment???

PS: you don't work for them do you??

 

[NJA82]

They are pretty low numbers mate, you definitely have something not quite right there.

I had similar results myself ( 3.1 on a 10-35 range and 5.5 on the same 10-35 range for total test ) on 2 back to back tests taken one month apart. GP sent me to an endo for an MRI on my pituitary because he was concerned with a tumor but results came back clear. Also sent me for a fertility test in fears of a testicular problem but that also came back really good.

Have since decided to not pursue HRT just yet as im fairly young much like yourself ( 31 this year ) but i have spoken to several very knowledgeable people on this subject and based from their advice have started supplementing vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, nettle root extract, dhea and tribulus for the past 2-3 months and have noticed a massive improvement in overall well being, energy levels and libido.

Im going to continue this for another 2-3 months and see how it goes and then go get another full round of bloods done to see if there is a definite improvement. I really want to avoid HRT if i can purely because its a big commitment and my current occupation/career makes it difficult to be able to stay 100% on track with the protocols and also have access to the hormones i would need all the time. These sort of factors are things you need to consider mate, HRT is for life and is something to avoid if possible while your young.

Did your doctor run your estrogen, LH, FSH, SHBG, TSH and prolactin levels on the blood tests by any chance?

Jackham, mate if you dont work for the place you should consider applying for a job in their marketing dept, you throw a few good sales pitches in there....

 

[jackham]

Hi NJ82,
Sounds good for them because I am a pharmacist that knows alot about natural hormone replacement! But you are right about trying DHEA and some herbal supplements first to see if your body can produce it naturally! There are some good naturopaths that can prescribe some herbal things to get your body back to normal! But definately get it checked out before diving in! It worked for me but nothing else did! I just know that natural hormone replacement shouldn't be discarded as an option!

 

[stevezau]

Hey NJA82,

Ah sounds like the natural stuff is working for you.. I've been on tribilus for 7months.. Also take daily zinch, mag, d3, omega 3 and iron free multi v.. None of which helped with the test levels..

So I'm kinda at the end of the road.. Tried a whole bunch of other natural options as well. Nothing that has made a significant impact.

And yes I had all those things tested except for LH. I had a blood test for LH yesterday. I get the results when I see the doc on Monday..

You mentioned u are now feeling better etc?? Sex drive etc normal?? How about your bodybuilding/training?? It will be interesting to see what your next results are with the natural herbs..

Thanks for the info again NJA82! Been really helpful.

 

[stevezau]

Hey All,

Had my doc appt today. Had a long chat with the doc.. Long story short my results came back as low for test and free test..

In the end he said, you can choose which ever method you like. He prefers using the Troache method as its controlled per daily basis. But as i travel for work and live a busy life i can tend to miss taking theses things twice a day.. Or if i leave them at home when i have to travel for work thats 5 days without.

We decided to go with injections every 10-14weeks.. He is injecting me with 1000mg of Test Reandron.. With my first check up in 4-5 weeks. That check up will determine my next injection but the half life of Reandron is 10-14 weeks so i'm told.. Didn't know one existed for that long!

Excited to see how it goes, can't wait to be feeling normal again AND to finally put on some muscle instead of wasting it away.

 

[NJA82]

Looks like you found a good doctor mate, happy to hear it!

Reandron is the Aus version of Nebido, i would be talking to your doc about splitting the shot in half and taking it every 5-6 weeks. The half life may be up to 3 months but the research ive done on it shows that there is a noticeable taper off from the 7-8 week mark.

Did they end up testing you for any pituitary or testicular issues at all? Seems a bit strange to put you on HRT so quickly without actually diagnosing you with a cause... It could be primary hypogonadism and you wouldnt know. Do you know what the cause is?

Dont mean to sound arrogant but sometimes its not as easy as just taking test to fix the problem mate, there is something that caused it and it has to be treated accordingly.

 

[NJA82]

Also is your doctor aware of how to treat the sides of taking test? Is he aware of HCG and the possibility of needing to run an AI depending on how your body responds to the treatment. Just make sure you have all your bases covered before you dive in or else in 4-6 weeks time you may be worse off than before you started.

 

[stevezau]

NJA82,

Yeah we tested for a heap of things.. Too many to list.. He is also going to refer me to a specialist just to make sure..

I asked him about that but he wants to do the full thing then we will keep a watchful eye on it.. 5 week mark and 8-9 week mark..

 

[stevezau]

Well I assume he's aware of it.. He treats alot of people.. But I'll ask him anyway. I'm still doing research myself. Thanks for the info..

 

[NJA82]

Cool sounds like hes all over it then Keep us informed on how it all goes mate! Happy to hear your on track with it all!

 

[stevezau]

Thanks alot for your help mate... It's hard sifting through all the crap on the Internet trying to find what's the truth about this stuff!!

Ill repost in 5-6 weeks on how I'm feeling.. If I remember

 

[GaryHost]

*deleted*

 

[WarbyD]

On Facebook, jump on the "TRT in Australia" group and ask in there.. There's generally only a couple of doctors that the group recommends.